Rotor & Wing Magazine :: Training :: Specialty

Left to right, Steve “Elroy” Colby, Matt Murphey, BJ Raysor and Dennis Small. Photo by Andrew D. Parker With the latest innovations in technology reaching the cockpits of various military and public service helicopters, new challenges have surfaced for operators regarding pilot training and accident prevention. Rotor & Wing Columnist Steve Colby, defense contractor and retired U.S. Air...

Left to right, Ernest Anderson, Dennis Pierce, Christian Gadbois, Cass Howell and Gordon Jiroux. Photo by Andrew D. Parker A group of five experts from various sectors of the training industry examined proven techniques and best practices to train new helicopter pilots and instructors during a panel at the Rotor & Wing 2010 Safety and Training Summit. Christian Gadbois, owner of Bakersfield...

Quotes from Tuesday, June 8 Ernie Stephens, Rotor & Wing Editor-at-Large: “Rule number one: If you leave with a helicopter, bring a helicopter back.” “Until about a year ago, I was absolutely 100 percent against night vision goggles for single-pilot operation. I thought it was crazy, I thought it was suicidal and I would never do it. It was based on my experience back when I was a...

A trio of magazine contributors led a panel discussion, “Adding to Your Fleet,” during the 2010 Safety & Training Summit in Denver. Editor-at-Large Ernie Stephens and columnist Lee Benson spoke along with HeliValue$ President Sharon Desfor. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Todd Vorenkamp—also a contributor—moderated the panel. “As it’s time to acquire new aircraft, you have to...

During his keynote speech June 8 at Rotor & Wing’s 2010 Safety and Training Summit in Denver, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt called for helicopter operators to continue striving for perfection while praising the efforts of the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST). He also advocated enhanced training and safety management practices, improved pilot decision-making, more access to helicopter...

From left to right, Jerry Allen of Baines SImmons, Bristow’s Tim Rolfe, Immanuel Barshi from NASA and Chris Baur, Rotor & Wing columnist. Photo by Andrew D. Parker A panel of speakers at the Rotor & Wing 2010 Safety & Training Summit on June 8 reiterated the importance of an “active safety culture” within an organization and argued that everything in aviation boils down to...

On June 8 and 9 we held our second Rotor & Wing Safety & Training Summit in Denver, Colo. I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of our speakers, moderators, panelists, sponsors and attendees. Sponsors included Eurocopter, CAE, Televent, Aero Dynamix, Winslow LifeRaft, AeroSimulators, ITT, HotSeat Chassis, Sikorsky and Frasca. The event want very well and we look forward to doing it again...

IHST’s Positive Efforts The International Helicopter Safety Team’s efforts to bring out the causes of helicopter accidents and offer recommendations on how to make them rare is a good one (see Rotor & Wing, November 2009). I am in agreement with the idea that improving the capabilities of the pilot will make the difference between safety and disaster. Operators should not shy away from...

A new organization is striving to boost helicopter safety through best practices and helicopter flight data monitoring (HFDM). The Global HFDM Steering Group—formed after March’s CHC Safety & Quality Summit in Vancouver—is made up of more...

In the course of conducting safe and efficient operations with helicopters, probably even more critically than with fixed wing aircraft, there is a time and season for all things. There’s a time for VFR flying and a time for IFR operations, and there very definitely is a time for keeping the aircraft in the hangar. There’s a time for being aggressive, and a time for proceeding slowly, with...

Commercial airplane pilots have it easy. They take off from a paved runway. They fly along prescribed airways (under the watchful eye of ATC). They land on a paved runway. Those airplane pilots who never land off-airport are in the vast minority. It’s just the opposite for a commercial helicopter pilot—especially those who fly EMS, ENG, heli-logging, heli-skiing, SAR—pretty much...

Simulation and training have come a long way in the helicopter world. As the virtual experience becomes more lifelike, operators are recognizing the value of sim time as a complement to in-aircraft training. That wasn’t always so. Historically, the fixed-wing segment has driven the simulator market, and these aircraft don’t require the same level of visual resolution as their rotary-wing...

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is about to begin assessing submissions made by organizations wishing to manage a two-year Interim Synthetic helicopter Tactics course. The overall contract will be worth €3-4 million (approximately $4.1 to 5.4 million) with the location to be determined at single fixed venue within a contributing member state. Proposals were to have been received by March 31, 2010...

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